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Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Wicked Reviews Series: Highschool of the Dead - Episode 2

Sorry I'm late with all of these posts...While the first episode focused on Takashi, Rei, and Hisashi, this episode focuses on Saya, Kohta, Shizuka, and Saeko. For those just checking in: Zombie outbreak is going on, your shit is ruined, and it's about time you watched this show.

As I said in the previous review: This series is going to do very well for the three big factors it has going for it even though I'm not one to jump all over those kinds of things.

That being said, the reason I'm following this series is the sheer excitement. Chaos is the name of the game here and there is conflict at every turn. Emotions are riding high, everything is at stake, one false move means you're dead, and friendships are unstable.

So here's how things start:Takashi's hopes of his friend Hisashi leading them are crushed while he worries about his Mother (who works at an Elementary School), Rei attempts calling her father but only mixed emotions come from that, Saya figures out some of the strengths and weaknesses of the zombies, Kohta is a gun otaku and makes a nail gun into a very functional weapon, Shizuka is the only adult left alive (that we know of) but has the IQ of a pile of dirt (and apparently her giant breasts and ass make noises when they move? I guess that's important to note with how weird that is), and Saeko is apparently my new favorite character of this series.

For those wondering about personalities and their skills:Takashi is your average guy really but that's what makes him stand out. He's the guy that can't keep the girl he cares for and fails in comparison to his peers. Because of this, he's able to push himself to achieve what others can't. He's our underdog and main character. Weapon of choice: Baseball bat to bludgeon skulls.

Rei is a bit high strung right now. She's rather sensitive and she just lost her boyfriend, might have lost her Father, has a hard time being around Takashi because of their past, and has to deal with that whole zombie thing that happens to be going on about now. Weapon of choice: Anything that can be used as a spear (she was trained in using one).

Saya is a know it all. She's a genius and isn't afraid to condescend to you and let you know it. She constantly has a plan or is able to construct one rather easily. She has a tough exterior but on the inside is another story. Weapon of choice: Brain.

Kohta is your stereotypical chubby geeky kid. He obviously has feelings for Saya but also has zero confidence (unless he's holding a gun). His skills with and knowledge of firearms are rather impressive. He's also voiced by Viral of Gurren Lagann fame so that's rather nifty. Weapon of choice: Any firearm or just enough parts to make one.

Shizuka so far hasn't had time to show any emotions or any real skill as of yet (unless making your giant breasts make weird noises when they move is a skill). She's the High School's doctor and so she'll obviously be handy at some point when it comes to chemicals and medicines. The only issue so far is that you can't treat a zombie wound as the person will turn regardless so I'm not sure how exactly her medical knowledge will help. Right now she feels like dead weight that has only made it this far by luck. The only advantage she has is she's an adult so she's able to do what the students can't such as drive a car. Weapon of choice: A vehicle later maybe? Possible use of chemicals? Not sure yet. (Prediction: She will become very useful soon enough. I'm basing this on the fact that Saeko didn't seem to rescue her by chance. It was more like she specifically sought Shizuka out.)

Saeko is the most level headed of the group. She also seems very honorable and reliable. To sum her up rather easily: She's a senior and the captain of the kendo club. That one sentence is capable of defining her rather nicely. The biggest two reasons she's my current fave in this series are simply her ability to stay calm even in such dire situations and the way she handled the incident with Ishii Kazu (you'll just have to watch to find out). Weapon of choice: Bokken.

How things continue:The different pairs meet up towards the end for different reasons and it isn't some half baked reason either. Many had a similar plan to get the keys from the faculty room to drive out of there and the rest heard the screams of Saya and wanted to help. Kohta runs out of ammo and Saya was two seconds away from becoming zombie noms when she pulls a drill off a shelf and manages to bury it in the face of the zombie while it looms over her. This part is censored like many others that could potentially be too graphic. After the group finishes off the zombies in the room, Saya lashes out with harsh words before having a complete break down. Saeko holds her as Saya cries in her arms from her recent escape from death's clutches.

There's a moment after the credits end, so keep watching.

This is Kylak signing out and sharpening his katana for such a scenario.

2 comments:

Pretty good for an second episode, even though I was extremely distracted by the boing noises Shizuka makes with her whole body. It is unnecessary and I don't personally think it's funny, but rather annoying and terrible. I already dislike see her run up to screen in the opening, but now she makes bouncy noises? Screw this noise!

I totally missed the moment at the end of the episode, oops. I better check it out.